


Leaves of a Faraway Branch

by Ohdotar



Series: Plan B for a few Problem Gems [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, Asgardian Magic, Brotherly Bonding, Brothers, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Gen, I just really needed to write my Idiot Viking Bros being bros again, I'm so happy, Loki is an ass, Mjolnir - Freeform, Post-Ragnarok, Revengers team, Team as Family, Thor Is a Good Bro, Thor: Ragnarok, boat immigrant aesir, brunnhilde is my dear sweet disaster daughter ok, every single one of them, group hug, infinity war fix-it, my dearest children, ragnarok spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-01-29 18:58:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12637167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohdotar/pseuds/Ohdotar
Summary: Thor is the God of Thunder, and his force is the force of Asgard.Loki used to fight for that strength like a street cat, but then came the bitter acceptance. It was never his for taking.Brunnhilde had a few dents and scratches in her, and she was a firm girl.Angry girl.Bruce found that it made her easier to be around, and her pity was of an understanding sort. A new kind.Silence fell again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just a calm and exhausted one.With a little imagination the hum of engines was almost like the sea. Almost like a home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I loved Ragnarök and you can pry these best of brothers from my cold dead hands because I love them and their boat immigrant people more than life itself. This is just a little drabble I had to get out of my system.  
> Also on my tumblr [here](https://jasmiinitee.tumblr.com/post/167151209683/leaves-of-a-faraway-branch) where I also have a few discussion posts and some fanart already yayyyy!

Asgard feeds the strength of its children, of its parents, of its own. The rule of the house of Odin and his father, Bor, and his father before him, Buri, is tied to the very Earth of the old and eroding Realm.  
It made sense that it would have taken care of its own. Hadn’t they taken care of her in return? Kept her from crumbling to pieces and cultivated her soil, dressed her up in gold and jewels and composed poems in her honour.

Thunder had crackled in Thor’s veins ever since he was a child. A primal sort of magical gift, one that a young child couldn’t be trusted alone with. He was never taught to hone his craft or to feed it further - only to harness, to control, to wield with precision - for in time it would grow to fit him whether he wished for it or not. He was the son of the earth, and son of Odin, and that made him a god.  
Loki always felt like he was standing on foreign ground. He felt the magic of Yggdrasill clearly, and it spoke to those who listened. It was a sharp and shrill call in the swirling colours of Bifröst and in the texture of Asgardian wood. But on Asgard it never called out to him in particular. He was a guest waiting in a doorway, hoping to gain his host’s trust. Over the years it got easier. He learned to persuade and flatter, and he worked to earn his pay.

The magic that coursed through Asgard was the same that flowed through Odin’s veins, it was his lifeforce. Strength like that, when fostered through thousands of years and thousands more yet, grew taxing as Odin himself grew old. He slept to regain his strength, a deep slumber once every winter. It was always when Thor, too, grew tired, and when the worst winter storms blew over Asgard. They brought over gusts of frosty air and snowflakes from the sea.  
Somehow it was always on those few days when Loki felt a surge of power. It charged the air and ran up through the ground, straight into his palms and his head and his heart. The call of Yggdrasill was of a different tune then, a more distant one, the leaves of a faraway branch. On those days Loki heard a deep and soothing rhythm in the shapes of crystallised snow that fell on his long sleeves, and he knew that the force of Odin and Asgard itself drowned it the rest of the year.  
It called out to him, and only him, but it was still the song of a stranger. He already had a foot wedged in the doorway and the attention of his host - he already felt the warmth of her house when the winter air suddenly beckoned him back outside. 

In the end, he always chose the fireplace. And soon enough it melted away the chill that he heard when he reached out to the dark winter nights. He watched Thor and his hammer when sunshine returned, and strove to match the force of his thunder. It was difficult when Thor, even untrained in true magical practice as he was, always seemed to find the force of the earth in his every breath. Loki had to fight for it like a street cat.

Loki had been envious of that power for the better part of his life. But he had learned, and that jealousy had at last turned into bitter acceptance. It was never his for taking.  
Then came pride, a strange and sudden feeling. Watching Thor be freed from the binding crutch that Mjölnir had been was a moment of warmth. Seeing him become thunder, a thing of sheer force his brother, was elating, exhilarating even.

His brother. The force of Asgard itself.  
Loki was proud, and rightfully so.

‘ _Now I know why he never thought much of my magic. It wasn’t tied to that earth like yours and his,_ ’ Loki said. ‘ _And Hela’s, I suppose._ ’ His eyes were downcast, no longer raking through the vast star-dotted space outside. Thor turned to look at him, worry and alarm clear in his hesitant frown.  
‘ _Loki, don’t say that. No, alright. It was never about -_ ’  
‘ _Well, I did always say that I have more skill. Yours is just… Odin’s hand-me-down._ ’

Even when Thor’s palm collided with the back of his head, Loki laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have another little character snippet. I really love this depressed duo okay, I just want them to get some rest.
> 
> _‘Nice to get to know you, Brunnhilde. Bruce Banner,’ he said and offered her a hand. She glared at it for a while before grabbing a hold of his whole forearm. The shake was firm and a bit too stern for Bruce’s tastes, but she seemed like a firm girl too._

He was sitting alone, looking over the foreign starscape, going through notes on a glitchy data pad. They had to stick to tight rations for food and water, and based on Thor’s daily intake it was going to be difficult, but they just might make it.  
He was doing well. He was helping people again. Everything was fine. Just a bit on the green side, but definitely good now, and not about to let the other guy get both hands on the wheel ever again. Even if he was constantly trying to grab a hold of it.

‘Oh, hi,’ Bruce said when the scrapper valkyrie stepped closer. She and Korg and Heimdall had been handing out some grey blankets and Loki’s garishly coloured spare cloaks (five of them? Pulled out of thin air with a very forced “friendly” smile) for families to stay warm and sleep in. He would have helped, but couldn’t stand the noise and the unfamiliar faces and tears. Not right now.  
‘Hi,’ the valkyrie said, sober for a change, ‘Bruce?’ He turned around to look at her with a crease between his brows.  
‘Yeah, uh, I’m sorry. I can’t really remember your name,’ he said, slightly embarrassed. ‘Though Thor said you’re a valkyrie? That’s like… a warrior, right?’ he tried. She looked out across the dark space for a moment, but nodded.  
‘It is. And I never said my name. Don’t worry. I was just… Scrapper 142,’ she replied and sat down next to him. Bruce nodded, and because she said nothing, he didn’t ask. It wasn’t his business. 

‘Brunnhilde,’ she said after a while. Bruce looked up. That was her name? It didn’t seem like Asgardians were very into surnames.  
‘Nice to get to know you, Brunnhilde. Bruce Banner,’ he said and offered her a hand. She glared at it for a while before grabbing a hold of his whole forearm. The shake was firm and a bit too stern for Bruce’s tastes, but she seemed like a firm girl too. Angry girl.  
‘...how old are you?’ he asked when the path his thoughts took started to feel weird and… blunt and naive.   
Thanks, Hulk. Thanks, but don’t. Okay. No. He shook his head a little and she let go. 

‘You all, actually, Thor and Loki included. I have no idea how you guys work.’  
‘Too old for this mess,’ Brunnhilde laughed in return. Bruce smiled and nodded. That’s how he felt, too. ‘Loki’s a young idiot, still, I think.’  
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m getting the sort of older brother versus younger brother vibes from them. Not much, I think, but still,’ Bruce agreed, focusing instead on the data pad again. Water was going to be the most difficult. They would have to try and check for any possible health conditions and viruses before proper hygiene would become too difficult to maintain.

‘Do you remember what you…? Or, I guess, what he does,’ Brunnhilde asked. Bruce felt his shoulders tense but he really tried not to let her hear the strain in his voice.  
‘Uhh, no, not really. I mean.’ He did, sometimes. But when that catastrophe was in control, there was nothing he could really… think. Nothing. ‘I know a little of what the other guy does, or at least I used to. Not so much anymore. I don’t know where I was for the last two years, to be honest.’ Brunnhilde was looking at him with tired eyes, and for once in his life Bruce was actually happy to see that pity. It wasn’t just that, either, it was an understanding of a sort. It was new.   
It was also something that Thor hadn’t shown at all, but Bruce didn’t want to be bitter. It would just make him tired and angry again, and he really didn’t want that, he already had enough of those feelings to last a lifetime. And it looked like Thor’s two years had been pretty rough too.  
‘And he’s always there?’ Brunnhilde asked with a little disgusted look.  
‘Yeah.’  
‘Are you not afraid?’  
‘All the time.’ 

It was something Bruce didn’t remember being asked in… probably ever.

‘Well, I think there’s at least one other person who’s scared out of his skin. You know, a skinny guy with a thing for flashy colours, black hair, a weirdo…? You should ask him about it some day,’ she said and smiled, punching him gently on the arm. Bruce let out a laugh that was already a bit less tense than his shoulders had been for the whole talk. She was a rough personality, and had a lot of scratches and dents. It felt easy to be around her.  
‘Yeah, I don’t know if I should,’ Bruce said and tried for a lighter tone. ‘Last time we spoke he said he’s this close to flipping out and killing everyone.’  
‘You’ve got something in common, then, right?’  
‘Yeah, a real nice thing to bond over.’

‘You must be more of a warrior than anyone on this ship,’ Brunnhilde said. Bruce looked at her for a while before giving a little shrug.   
‘Thanks. I could say the same about you.’  
'Do you drink?' she asked.  
'I probably shouldn't. But I'm not judging. I'm not that kind of doctor.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silence fell again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just a calm and exhausted one. The engines of the ship hummed and whirred through the walls and floor, but with a little imagination it was almost the same as the distant roar of a sea. Almost like a home.  
> Drinks were already empty - mostly thanks to Brunnhilde - and the little packs of salty flatbread were piled out of an arm’s reach when there was but a few crumbs left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for all your Infinity War denial needs. I'm not even going to see that movie because it would just break my heart forever.  
> A cuddle puddle is a better option, really. I also made [some art for this](https://jasmiinitee.tumblr.com/post/167274698548/theyve-earned-a-good-nights-sleep-okay-every) a while ago.
> 
> I'm going to start a post-Ragnarök AU / IW fix-it from this base so keep your eyes on my profile.

Thor opened his arms in a small, light gesture, and Loki laughed too loudly for the situation if only to mask what was truly going through his head. His eyes teared up, too. The hug was warm and tight, and was followed by more choked tears and smiles, and probably a few good bruises from how tightly Loki held onto Thor’s arms and back. 

It turned strange very quickly, and eased off into a few hard pats on each other’s shoulders. It was a start nonetheless.

Thor didn’t push, Loki didn’t flee. They spoke softly of irrelevant things - of whether Heimdall ever slept, of how Thor liked his new hair, did the eye hurt for it looked ugly, and how Loki even managed to gather a bunch of former gladiators and Korg of all people to help him with the ship. Korg was just a gentle soul like that.  
Neither mentioned Surtur or Ragnarök, not a word about father or Hela. Neither mentioned anything that took place before that morning, not of what the next one would bring. 

Neither mentioned the fact that the other brother was the only familiar face they both had left.

Thor cleaned up his armour - new and already badly bruised, a surprisingly thick and well-fitting gift from the Grandmaster, wherever that lunatic was. Loki sat down beside Thor, his back slumped against the wall and his shoulder against his brother’s. He took his boots off to polish them - the same favourite pair he had worn for the last century, still in sharp condition.

The valkyrie pushed herself in through the cracked door with Bruce in tow. Both looked weary and beaten, but they smiled.  
‘Hi. Don’t you two look just as happy as the weeping widows on the main deck,’ she said and sat down, and Thor and Loki both looked up with tired sighs - Thor’s a gentle one, Loki’s very tense. She smiled and lifted up a bottle. ‘This party looks great, just my kind of night. We’re joining in.’  
‘You're welcome to do so,’ Thor said.  
‘Wow, I didn’t think you guys could ever make up your... whatever your problem was,’ Bruce said dryly. Thor looked away and Loki grimaced.  
‘Working on it,’ Thor said.  
‘Brunnhilde said that you did, but… I guess miracles do happen.’  
‘Brunnhilde?’ Loki asked and put his boots aside..  
“And here I thought that Scrapper was your name,” Thor huffed and smiled at the valkyrie. She just shrugged in return and pointed her bottle at Bruce.  
“Well, I thought Hulk was his, so... I’m really sorry, your Highness, we already started the pity party.”  
“And perhaps I will take my leave now,” Loki said and smiled politely, climbing to his feet and picking up his boots again.

‘Come on. Dude -’ Bruce groaned and rolled his eyes. ‘We brought snacks. Or whatever this is, I don’t know… anyway.’  
Brunnhilde glared at Loki from under her brow with clear disbelief and Thor let out a sigh.  
‘Loki,’ he said. Loki froze, despite having already turned his back to him. ‘Come back, you’re the only one insisting you leave. We have time to argue later if that’s what you want, but the ship is full of people. Where do you even think you’re going?’  
‘I will not stay here to - to celebrate the Hulk and to be…’  
‘No one’s celebrating that guy,’ Bruce cut him off. Loki gave him a blank look. ‘Man, sit your ass down when your brother asks you to. Just when I thought you were little less of a jerk.’

There was a moment of hesitation before Loki lifted his chin and pointed a finger at Bruce.  
‘Who was it again that brought you this ship, to stow away safely and save the day and all the people aboard?’  
‘Don’t worry, no one’s forgotten your show, Saviour,’ Brunnhilde scoffed. ‘So sit down. Let’s celebrate you,’ she said and raised her bottle. Loki stared at her. Thor laughed and tried to hide it with bad success.

After a short moment Loki sighed theatrically and sat back down. He extended a hand for Bruce’s unspecified snacks and shook his head with a look that was tired, but almost amused at the same time.  
So was the tone of his voice: ‘Fine. Since you all insist.’

***

Thor was the first to lie down and Brunnhilde tossed him her cape for a pillow before slumping against him and making herself comfortable.  
‘Bruce, come here,’ she said, holding back a yawn, and spread her arms.  
‘What?’  
‘If you’re even half as good a snuggle as your big green buddy was, you’re going to be great. I want to sleep,’ she said and beckoned him closer. Thor huffed out a sigh, but squirmed to make more room for the two of them to lean against his side.

‘What are you doing?’ Loki asked flatly from across the tight nook they had all slumped down in, arms crossed over his knees.  
‘I don’t know about you, but I’m worn through,’ Thor grumbled, already closing his eye.  
‘You just started Ragnarök and still think that it wasn’t a long day for the rest of us? Right,’ Brunnhilde snorted, pulling Bruce tightly against her side like a stuffed animal.  
‘I don’t know what’s happening, but it can’t be as bad as the day we just had,’ he shrugged at Loki, who kept staring at the three of them like he’d never seen anything like that.  
‘I see,’ he said, and his expression said that he really didn’t.

Silence fell again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just a calm and exhausted one. The engines of the ship hummed and whirred through the walls and floor, but with a little imagination it was almost the same as the distant roar of a sea. Almost like a home.  
Drinks were already empty - mostly thanks to Brunnhilde - and the little packs of salty flatbread were piled out of an arm’s reach when there was but a few crumbs left. 

Thor was the first to doze off, pulling his cape around himself and snoring lightly. Bruce twisted his shoes off and tried to do so without elbowing either Asgardian in the ribs or groin in the process. He managed.  
‘Hey, Loki…?’ Bruce asked and waved a hand to get his attention. Loki lifted his head slowly and frowned at him, trying to turn his head little enough to get a strand of hair away from his eyes without having to move too much.  
‘What is it?’ he asked grudgingly.  
‘Have you got any of those spare blankets left?’

Loki paused for a good while and leaned back, straightening one of his legs. He looked at Bruce from under his brow.  
‘What “spare blankets” are you talking about?’ he asked.  
‘Capes, whatever,’ Bruce said and leaned back against Thor to get to a better sitting position. ‘Those you pulled out from your magic pockets earlier when we were counting heads.’  
‘No,’ Loki said. ‘Why would I keep more than five with me?’  
‘Yeah, sorry. Five’s a totally reasonable number, six is too much. Should have known,’ Bruce groaned and rubbed his forehead. ‘Because that’s how normal people think.’  
‘Hysterical,’ Loki scoffed back. ‘Side-splitting.’

‘Can you not shout? I’m trying to get some sleep and your brother’s making enough noise already,’ Brunnhilde said, sounding tired and already a bit slurred by sleep and alcohol. Loki and Bruce both looked at her before closing their mouths, at least for a moment.

‘Can I get the one you’re wearing if you’re not sleeping? The floor’s real cold. It’s really not doing any good for my back,’ Bruce whispered.

Loki cursed and complained under his breath, but slowly climbed on his feet and took off his cape and shoulder guards. He held the wide stretch of fabric in front of himself and edged closer to the rest. Bruce moved his feet to make room, but crossed his arms to keep his own space. Loki looked at him for a while and let his eyes wander to Thor and Brunnhilde as well, squeezing the edge of his cape in his hands.  
‘Lift your feet,’ he said. Bruce raised a brow.  
‘Why?’  
‘Because I don’t want to sleep next to you, and I don’t want to touch you. I’d rather not awaken the Hulk,’ Loki replied. Bruce pulled a face but did as he asked, and Loki threw the entire cape on the floor. He hauled Valkyrie’s legs up from the ankles without any similar care to her well-being, but pushed the edge of the cape under her as well.

His final hesitation was likely more for show than true shivers of disgust. He laid down on his side, head close to Thor’s, and pulled the edge of his cape under his head. Brunnhilde sighed and propped her feet on him.

Asgard slept her much-needed sleep in a home that wasn’t a home, and Heimdall kept watch for the night.


End file.
